Felixstowe: Samurai Swords Found

Bordery Agency Officials have found nearly 80 illegal Samurai swords at the Port of Felixstowe.

The 78 blades were seized along with 348 other knives in a consignment shipped to the UK from Pakistan on Tuesday (20 December).

In an attempt to sneak their illegal goods past the UK’s strong border controls the smugglers had falsely listed the container’s contents as printed matter. When officers opened it for examination they found the haul of offensive weapons.

Bill Form, the UK Border Agency’s Assistant Director at Felixstowe, said: “It’s an unusual seizure for us at Felixstowe, where we’re more used to finding drugs, cigarettes and counterfeit goods, it just shows that our officers’ eyes are always open for any and all prohibited items.

“Thanks to their actions in this instance we have ensured that these potentially deadly weapons have been kept off the UK’s streets where they could have ended up in the wrong hands.”

The swords, which had been destined for Birmingham, will now be destroyed. No arrests have been made.

UK Border Agency officers use a combination of hi-tech x-ray scanning equipment and intelligence to weed out the illegal goods hidden inside the containers that pass through Felixstowe.